Honda if you're gonna put a manual in a coupe with 278hp it better sound like an NSX too.
The Accord Coupe is an odd piece of toast. It takes their bread-and-butter sedan—a vehicle built on the practical, day-to-day needs of a modern, small family—and lops off two of the doors. In profile, it becomes a scaled-up Civic Si, but with better interior appointments and substantial V6 torque.
Few other automakers still put this effort forward. Ford doesn't have a 2-door Fusion. Does Honda's classy coupe make sense? Well, they do offer it with a manual transmission, which is a good place to start. Read the counterpoints below for the full story.
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This is like a Civic Si for grown-ups: plenty o' power, excellent seats, crisp manual transmission and a nice, mature interior. I really enjoyed my time with this one. In fact, I could drive it daily. No, it's not going to win at Solo Nats, but it makes an excellent daily driver. Plus I think it looks pretty cool, too.
This is a quiet and refined coupe. Its engine is sewing-machine smooth, and the shifter clicks precisely in every gear. I was pleasantly surprised when I got in and saw a six-speed manual, because I had been entirely expecting another dull automatic.
This is a fun car to dice through traffic, and the torque from its V6 is plentiful—definitely not your typical Honda. It does, however, make little sense to me. Why would anyone buy this car instead of a Mustang GT, for example? Highway fuel economy is about the same, and city isn't much worse. A Subaru WRX has four doors and costs $6000 less.
The value equation just isn't providing a positive purchase factor for the price paid for this car. It's a front-drive coupe of limited utility and poor fuel economy. It's quick, it's refined, and it is fun to drive, but it's not a performance winner for the money. But if you want a subtle, classy coupe and don't care much about gas mileage, maybe this is it.
Honda if you're gonna put a manual in a coupe with 278hp it better sound like an NSX too.
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